Magnetic resonance (MR) parameters define the image acquisition that is performed on the scanner and consequently define the types of image (contrasts) that are generated. These parameters may be pre-defined at a radiology department as pulse sequence protocols. These protocols may further be modified by technicians for a specific patient; alternatively, the parameters may be set independently for new patients. Setting-up MR protocol parameters to achieve a desired contrast type requires expert knowledge of MR physics. Recommendations from MR literature and vendors' user guides or user forums are useful information sources, but are rarely consulted in daily practice due to lack of time. Hence, it can happen that subtle changes in the parameters have an undesired influence on the resulting image contrast.
Analysis based on field data shows that not only geometry parameters are routinely adapted by the technician, but also parameters having an influence on image quality, scan time, or contrast. The degree to which scan parameters are optimized by the user greatly varies within institutions or technicians. Examples of user interface parameters requiring more or less frequent adaptation by the technician include: field of view, resolution, number of slices, slice gap, fold over direction, parallel imaging mode, parallel imaging acceleration factor, number of averages, echo time, repetition time.